Charges Now Pending in Fatal Benton County DUI Crash

Washington State Patrol Trooper C. Thorson says charges are likely pending from a Friday night fatal crash on SR 14 that killed a 68-year-old Kennewick man.

Trooper Thorson says Manuel Guajardo died when his vehicle was struck by another car that had crossed the centerline near Patterson.

The crash, which occurred around 10:55PM, happened when 42-year-old Jesus Chavez of Walla Walla crossed the centerline just East of Patterson, striking Guajardo's car. The Kennewick man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Trooper Thorson says alcohol was a factor, and charges are pending against Chavez.

No other details were released concerning the crash as the investigation continues.

Authorities say DUI incidents starting to become more of an issue in the state again, for example, the last week of February, Yakima Police reported they had issued their 48th DUI citiation for 2021, which paces ahead of where they were a year ago.

Here's a few other notable DUI involved incidents in the Tri- Cities over the last year.